


Aegyptus

by Echinoderma



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Alternate Universe, Crossover, Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-11-06
Updated: 2011-11-06
Packaged: 2017-10-25 18:47:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,380
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/273560
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Echinoderma/pseuds/Echinoderma
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>AU. Exotic locales call for exotic companions.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> wow a YUGIOH/HOMESTUCK CROSSOVER CAN SOMEONE ACTUALLY KILL ME  
> a series of short stories about mindfang and tkb chilling in the shadows of the alternian empire, thieving and plundering like bosses

The tavern stank of cheap beer and stale vomit, the stench nearly palpable in the late afternoon heat. Grimy, unwashed laborers sat at dilapidated tables, their chipped and yellowed teeth flashing in the setting desert sun. A bartender stood at the splintered counter, polishing a filthy glass with an even filthier rag, seemingly ignorant of the rank smells and rowdy patrons in the confining space.

                Mindfang hated this place.

                She was slumming it, that much was for sure. Alternians were already standout in the outer worlds, most of them touched down only to scout for new worlds to conquer, more races to enslave. Fringe planets, home to thieves, pirates, general scum, as it were, were often passed up by the mighty Alternian armada in favor of more fruitful prospects. But Mindfang had skittered her way out of military service, hijacking a ship to explore the edges of charted territory and to loot and plunder the riches of the cosmos. Lately, however, her jobs were coming up short, her leads bringing her to dead ends, increased Alternian presence on the more lucrative worlds giving her a hard time. Not to mention that neophyte always tailing her...

                But she'd gotten a good tip from a fellow gamblignant, a lavish burial palace out in the proverbial boondocks, not a troll to be seen and treasure as far as the eye could see. But the security was something else, guarded not by mortals but by magic. Mindfang scoffed, but she knew better than to underestimate the power of protective spellwork. So here she was, looking for an old friend to help out with the heist, someone who was intimately familiar with the intricacies of that particular line of sorcery.

                Her eyes landed on the shock of white hair in the corner, gone orange in the glow of the setting sun. As Mindfang strode over, the man's mouth widened into a cocky smirk, crinkling the thick rope of scar tissue that stretched down the left side of his face. Every move he made was punctuated with the jingle of gold, a large, gaudy pendant shifting against his bare chest. He leaned back as she lowered herself into the chair, taking a long swig of his drink as she looked at him appraisingly.

                "Bakura."

                "Mindfang." Bakura drawled, drumming his fingers against the splintering wood of the table. He belched obscenely,  smirking wider at Mindfang's raised eyebrows. "What brings you to my little corner of the empire this fine afternoon?"

                "Do I always need to have a reason to come see a dear friend? I thought we could just have a nice little chat. Talk about the weather."

                "Ah yes, the weather. Take your pick between 'balls hot' and 'cold as fuck'. They're the only two options you're going to get." Metallic clinks filled the air as he leaned forward, quieting his voice to a low murmur. "So what kind of job do you have for me today, hmm?"

                "Your specialty, _Touzoku-ou._ A tomb."

                Bakura's cackle was swallowed by the general commotion of the tavern, the Ring jangling as he slammed the table with one tanned fist.

                "Come now, the great _Spinneret Mindfang_ unable to break into one measly little tomb by herself? You must be losing your edge."

                "This one is different. Some kind of magic, or maybe a curse.

                Bakura hummed in his throat, the lunatic smile of his fading into a slight curve of his lips.

                "The curses of the dead are nothing to play around with. They can be-- powerful things indeed. You'll have to make it worth my while, Mindfang."

                "A fifty-fifty split if you come in with me."

                "Psh, half of some noble's tomb. Not enough to go dispelling hexes."

                "Not a noble's tomb, Bakura. A monarch's."

                _That_ made the light in Bakura's eyes flicker, like a magpie eyeing a piece of polished metal.

                "A king's burial, then. Where is it?"

                Her mouth struggled to pronounce the unfamiliar sounds, but as soon as she spoke them Bakura stiffened, eyes narrowing to thin slits.

                " _Egypt,_ you mean to say."

                "Are you familiar with it?"

                "More than familiar." Bakura sneered. "I'm from there. Whose tomb are you so intent on defiling, if you don't mind my asking?

                Mindfang folded her arms across her chest. "Someone renowned. Really rich. That's all you need to know, isn't it?"

                "Humor me."

                "I'm not sure I can pronounce it."

                She slipped him a frayed scrap of paper, angular letters inscribed on the surface. The smirk he gave this time was all teeth, not a hint of mirth to be found in the twist of his mouth.

                " _Aknamkanon._ You really are a woman after my heart."

                Mindfang gazed coolly at the thief across the table, acknowledging his comment with a slight tilt of her chin.

                "I couldn't imagine a tomb I would have greater pleasure in desecrating. You've got yourself a deal, Mindfang."


	2. Chapter 2

"This place a fucking shithole."

                Mindfang wobbled in the loose desert sand, the moon large and vibrant in the fathomless black above. They had set out under the cover of darkness, traversing the barren landscape on foot, but the shifting ground caused her to drag behind, slowing their progress.

                Her vision eightfold locked on the faint speck on the horizon that marked their destination; the closer they got the more- excited, she supposed- Bakura got, the beat of his steps in time with the clatter of gold on his chest.  His easy strides across the dunes only served to irritate her more. Usually the Thief King liked to talk a big game as they approached a target, but he was eerily silent for this trip, no mocking laughter or lavishly embellished tales of past accomplishments, every fiber of his being vibrating in anticipation.

                "No offense, Bakura, but you don't strike me as the kind of person to mingle with royalty. You have a history with this _Akenemakuatata_ or whatever his name was? Killed your lusus? Spurned your caliginous advances? You always were drawn to a more _ancient_ crowd."

                "Shut your slanderous trap, Mindfang, I'm not harboring some ridiculous alien hate-crush on this worthless cur. He took something from me. It's only right that I take something from him."

                "Well in that case you should be a bit more grateful I let you in on this little excursion of mine. Nothing sweetens thievery like a little revenge."

                He snorted into the crisp night air, kicking up the sand with a bit more vehemence than before.

                "Not revenge. Justice."

                It was Mindfang who snorted this time, mouth twisting into a grimace as the words echoed through her ears.

                "You sound just like Redglare."

\------------------------

                Moonlight reflected off the polished limestone surface of the structure, four sided with a small overhang Mindfang assumed to be the entrance. Torchlight marked the roving parties of guards, incensed smoke rising from the elaborate temples on the hallowed ground. Mindfang shuffled, dressed in her 'work' outfit; simple slacks and a tanktop emblazed with the Scorpio symbol, hair tied back with a scrap of azure cloth. The sand was everywhere, in the crooks and crevices of her clothes, irritating the gunmetal skin beneath.

                Something flickered against the edges of her mind, her psychic abilities sensing the scrape of snakeskin on the rough wall before her. Bakura looked briefly confused, before flashing his teeth in a roguish grin.

                "Don't be rude, now. Say hello, Mindfang."

                She felt the focused stare of Bakura's strange lusus on the back of her neck.

                "Hello, Diabound."

                The creature shimmered into visibility, moving to hover over Bakura, the serpent-tail curling protectively about his torso.

                " _Aknamkanon's_ _tomb will undoubtedly be swathed in the most powerful protective rites. Only the priests with the strongest_ _Ka_ _allowed to watch over him. It's a good thing you brought me along." He said, his words dripping in the familiar histrionic tinge she'd come to associate with the arrogant thief. "Alone, their spirits would have torn you apart. You wouldn't have made through the first chamber. Why, I'd bet you wouldn't even be able to find this place, let alone break into it. You can barely fucking walk on the sand."_

 _Mindfang gritted her teeth but said nothing, turning instead to examine the unfamiliar hieroglyphics inscribed on the brick perimeter._

 _Bakura really pissed her off sometimes._


End file.
